Today, I’m delighted to be chatting to Georgina Troy, author of The Jersey Scene series of novels.
Me: Hello, Georgina, and welcome to ‘Shelby Writes.’
Georgina: Thank you for inviting me onto your lovely blog, Lynne.
Me: I've just read A Jersey Kiss and very much enjoyed it - I'm looking forward to reading the other books in the series. What would be the 'elevator pitch' for your new novel, A Jersey Dreamboat?
Georgina: Two event planners are badly let down when a Jersey socialite cancels her wedding at the last minute. Feeling despondent, they go to a party and are invited on a luxury yacht to Nice, but when a last-minute wedding booking is offered, the girls must return to Jersey, and real life has to begin again ...or has it?
Me: How important is the location of Jersey to your novels?
Georgina: Very. I love living in Jersey and am very lucky to be able to share the bays, quirky places and unexpected nooks and crannies with readers. Those who haven’t visited the island before have told me that they now plan to do so and others who come here often, or who might have grown up here, tell me how much they love revisiting the island through my stories.
Me: I see that like me, you were a member of the Romantic Novelists Association New Writers' Scheme. How has that helped you as a writer?
Georgina: Immensely. Both my first two books in the series, A Jersey Kiss and A Jersey Affair went through the New Writers’ Scheme and received their detailed and helpful Reader’s Report. Through those anonymous readers I’ve gleaned a huge amount of knowledge about how to improve my writing and also improve the books I submitted to them. It was thanks to one of them that I make more of the island, which I hadn’t thought to do until she suggested it.
Me: Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?
Georgina: You need to read, a lot. Try to work out what makes the books you enjoy so good. See how the story is set out and how it is drawn together and builds. Also though, when you read a book that you don’t enjoy try to work out why it doesn’t work for you.
You also need to write a lot. I write every day, although it differs as to what I’m writing or how much I write. If I’m writing a book then I aim to write at least 1,000 words, but I usually keep going until I reach 2,000 words. If I’m not in the mood at all, I’ll tell myself that I’ll write 100 words… It’s amazing how those 100 words end up being 1,000 before I know it.
Me: Are you planning or writing your next novel? And can you tell us something about it?
Georgina: I’ve already written the first draft of book 4 in the series, A Jersey Bombshell. It’s the story about a marine explorer returning to the island to help run his entertainer parents’ art deco hotel and what happens when he arrives at the hotel and discovers that the girl he fell in love with on his travels is now working as a receptionist.
Me: Thank you so much, Georgina, for joining me today.
Georgina: My pleasure, Lynne.
Georgina Troy lives on the island of Jersey and can see the lights in France at night from her bedroom window, as Jersey is only fifteen miles off the French coast. Her books are published by Accent Press. To purchase Georgina's books or discover more about The Jersey Scene series, please click on the links below:
Links:
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Jersey-Dreamboat-Scene/dp/1783757094/
Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jersey-Dreamboat-Scene/dp/1783757094/
Twitter: @GeorginaTroy
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/GeorginaTroyAuthor
Website: www.GeorginaTroy.co.uk